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Summary List of stories Phase I Day: Honor, Duty, And Family << chapter 29 Chapter 30 of 75 Party Nights And Desert Days chapter 31 >> << previous scene Scene 1 of 2 next scene >> Location Participants Time Summary Prologue | Phase I | Phase II | Epilogue 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 Text Spike still looked dazed, grinning awkwardly as he sat at a table with Scrivener Blooms, Rainbow Dash, Big Macintosh, and Sleipnir. His night with Rarity after his proposal had been wonderful, to say the least, and the day that followed had been one of celebration and congratulations. And now, here they were, on a night out together... although he'd been surprised to find out that Sleipnir had decided to tag along too. Rarity was with her mare-friends, planning the wedding, giggling girlishly like the filly she had once been. She had taken over for most of the wedding preparations in a flurry, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect, already planning when and where it could take place and attending to each and every detail... except, as Spike forced himself to push through his dazed, delighted stupor, he realized she had looked at him a lot when making suggestions. She could read him like a book, after all, and he was honestly glad that this was Rarity's area of expertise, wedding and design and... everything. If it was up to him, after all, they'd probably end up with a Pinkie Pie party instead of an actual wedding. Then he glanced dumbly up as Sleipnir easily drained his stein of ale and slammed it down on the round table in front of him, the enormous stallion looking cheerfully back and forth through the tavern before he exclaimed cheerfully: "The straw, the sawdust, the sweet smells of liquor and sweat! Aye, 'tis like a coming home for me, Celestia, Luna and I spent many times in bars like this whilst we traveled Equestria." "Yeah, it's a nice place." Rainbow agreed with a grin, leaning back in his chair and easily taking a drink of his beer before he winked over at Spike, who looked awkwardly down at his own half-full glass of alcohol in front of him before Rainbow laughed and leaned forwards, topping him up from the pitcher. "Dude, the hard part's over. Now you get to have fun with your fiancee until wedding day rolls around, which is in... six months or so, yeah?" "Something like that." Spike mumbled, rubbing awkwardly at his face before he finally laughed, shaking his head and finally grinning as Big Mac and Scrivener looked at the dragon with amusement. "I just can't believe I did it, you know? I actually did it. I actually proposed and... and she actually said yes." Scrivener Blooms raised his glass of cola with a wink, saying softly: "And it's going to be wonderful, Spike. Rarity's gorgeous, smart, and mellow these days, too. Well, maybe a little dramatic but... she's far nicer than Luna. Hopefully she'll stay that way." "And got less pride than AJ, but that could always change too." Rainbow winked over at Big Mac, and then the Pegasus and Scrivener both laughed as the crimson stallion rolled his eyes and Sleipnir snorted in amusement, then reached out and firmly patted Spike on the shoulder, almost knocking him out of his chair. "Do not listen to these fools, they are merely crows, cawing at the happy lark." Sleipnir said firmly, and then he picked up his empty stein and threw it at Scrivener's head, the stallion wincing and ducking before the metal cup clanged loudly off the wall behind the charcoal pony. "Wretched poet! As recompense and to defend my sister's honor, I demand that thou tells us a poem about Luna! And do not cheat, the poem must rhyme." "What?' Scrivener huffed, and then he glared at Rainbow Dash when the Pegasus grinned and nodded rapidly, before Scrivener gestured quickly towards the blue-coated equine. "Make him tell a poem, he's a closet nerd." "Oh, dude, you're just asking for me to kick your flank now." Rainbow huffed, pointing at him threateningly. "Besides, when I said my bit, Big Mac laughed too. You're the one doing it behind Luna's back." "Soul-bound." Scrivener pointed out, raising a hoof... and then he groaned when Sleipnir glared at him and shook the table firmly, the charcoal stallion grumbling. "You really just like causing trouble, don't you? And I'm willing to bet you don't want a nice poem about Luna, either." "Well, nay, that would defeat the whole purpose. Poetry is for romance or laughter, and I far prefer the latter." Sleipnir replied with a wink, and Scrivener snorted in amusement at this. "What? Am I wrong?" Scrivener only looked at the stallion for a moment, then he sighed and rested his elbows on the table as he leaned forwards, curling his hooves beneath his chin as he said dryly: "My wife is named Luna and she is so smart, she holds in her hooves the keys to my heart. But she loses them often because she likes to fight and kill all day; my attraction to her masculinity makes me question if I'm actually gay." "An excellent poem!" Sleipnir shouted happily, slamming his hooves against the table and laughing loudly, and Spike and Rainbow Dash joined in on the merriment as Big Mac smiled slightly and tossed Scrivener an entertained look, the charcoal stallion only shrugging in return. "Now tell one about Celestia!" Scrivener Blooms snorted at this, holding up his hooves and saying dryly: "No. I hate rhyming poems. They're way too much of a pain in the flank to come up with, even simple little couplets like that." Sleipnir huffed grumpily in response to this, then he winked over at the waitress as she approached, holding up a hoof and ordering easily: "A bottle of the strongest whiskey this bar can serve, oh beautiful mare! And put it upon the tab of the stallion there, the one with the silly glasses and the sillier words!" Scrivener only rolled his eyes, then he waved a little at the waitress when she looked at him before he said mildly: "I guess in that case, I'll order up some-" "Nachoes!" Rainbow interjected, and then he poked at the pitcher. "And would you mind refilling this, too, please?" Scrivener grumbled, then he nodded and added mildly: "Another glass of cola for me, and... Big Mac, you want anything?" The red stallion only shook his head easily, however, so Scrivener nodded as the waitress slipped forwards and picked up the pitcher, smiling to them as she headed away. Sleipnir grinned after her, licking his lips slowly before his eyes flicked curiously towards Big Mac, asking with interest: "And tell me, friend, why art thou still a bachelor? Handsome, strong, a hard worker... why, had I not so little time, I would drag thee off and spend the night with thee myself!" Rainbow Dash coughed violently at this as Spike looked dumbly over at Sleipnir, but Big Mac only snorted and exchanged an amused look with Scrivener as the charcoal pony said mildly: "See, I told you so. He's worse than Luna." "Well, I most certainly should be! Everything she learned, she learned from me." Sleipnir replied cheerfully, patting his own broad, bare chest easily with one hoof, then he winked as he looked down at the tattooing of ivy and intertwined celestial symbols over his right breast and forelimb. "Funny, though, she never was one for needles, I shall have thee know." "She has your name tattooed in runes on the back of her head, actually." Scrivener said calmly, swirling his cola, and Sleipnir looked absurdly touched as the others looked with surprise towards Scrivener, who smiled amusedly as he shrugged. "She always wanted... something to remember you by. I don't think it was long after you died... she shaved her mane and got your name tattooed. Apparently Celestia was utterly furious with her. Of course, it's completely impossible to see, but... that's not really the point, anyway." Sleipnir was quiet for a few moments... then he smiled warmly and nodded firmly a few times, laughing quietly as he grinned back and forth around the table. "I never knew. Why didn't my little sister ever tell me?" "Because Luna's both very loud and very quiet at the same time." Scrivener replied easily, looking with a slight smile over at Sleipnir before he glanced over at Spike, adding softly: "And I heard from Celestia and Twilight, by the way, about what you asked them..." Spike smiled a little, glancing embarrassedly down as the others looked up curiously before the dragon glanced across at Scrivener and said softly: "She's the one for me. That's all there is to it, you know? And... I'm happy to live one life. With her." Scrivener nodded slowly, and Spike reached up, touching his armband and saying softly: "This? This isn't... fair to Rarity. I know, I know, people keep saying that it is, that if anything it's not fair to me, but... they don't understand how much I love her. How much she's giving up... how much I know she's given up already for me. I can't explain how she doesn't just make me happy, she... she completes me. She makes me feel like all my life has been lived for her, to be with her and by her side. Experiencing that every day... Scrivener, is... this what having a soulmate is like?" "Hey, why aren't you asking me that question?" Rainbow asked mildly, and Spike smiled embarrassedly before the Pegasus laughed a little and shook his head, saying softly: "No, I get it, don't worry. And besides... Applejack and I have... had a conversation like that ourselves, to be honest. Because of our memories of the Starlit Knights and what happened to me and... all that..." Rainbow looked down quietly, rubbing slowly at the underside of his muzzle before he shook his head and looked back up with a small smile. "We promised each other we'd try and... keep going, if something happened, you know? I think... I know it sounds mean, especially after what happened last time, but... I think it would be easier for Applejack than me, too. Because she's got you, Mac, and she's got... Apple Bloom and so much else to look out for and... you know. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm lucky. I got a lot of friends, good friends, too, and family in you guys... but... I think we all know I'm not quite as strong as AJ is." He laughed quietly and shook his head, looking thoughtfully over at Spike as he asked quietly: "So you're actually... considering having a permanent enchantment put on your body, that's what your saying, isn't it?" Spike smiled a little and nodded, replying quietly: "Yeah, I am. One life with her, with Rarity... not having to wear this thing all the time, worrying every day about.. what if it breaks, or it slips off, or..." He reached up, gently rubbing at the charmed, golden band around his arm, the gemstones quietly glinting in it as he murmured: "It's beautiful, and I'm never going to get rid of it, no. But I'd like to be able... to show Rarity, truly, how much I love her. That I know... there's no one else for me." There was quiet for a few moments, and then Sleipnir smiled warmly and leaned forwards, gesturing at him and saying gently: "Then do not let anypony tell thee any different, or dissuade thee from the course thou hast chosen. Oh, aye. It may not be smart. It may be rash, and stupid, and may leave thee wanting in the future. But if Rarity truly is the match for thee, my friend... then so be it. Because there will never be another in thy life like her, thy chosen beloved." He smiled warmly as he sat back, and the others looked at him before Rainbow Dash asked mildly, glancing pointedly towards Scrivener Blooms: "And what about when some lucky stallion happens to end up with two instead of one?" "It's not like that." Scrivener said embarrassedly, and then he asked dryly: "And since when was it okay to talk about that, by the way?" "Since Twilight started being okay to talk about it, I guess." Rainbow answered in a surprisingly-serious voice, disarming Scrivener for a moment before the Pegasus grinned widely and added cheerfully: "And ever since I started wondering if this is all just a smokescreen because Luna's really married to Twilight and you're the live-in butler or something." Scrivener sighed and rubbed slowly at his face before Sleipnir said pointedly: "Now, Rainbow Dash, to be fair my sister cares for Scrivener very much, and he makes a very pretty mare indeed. I am sure she at least considers him a concubine, and not simply a servant." The charcoal earth pony grumbled as Big Mac chuckled and Rainbow Dash grinned slightly, and then Sleipnir looked thoughtfully over at Scrivener Blooms before he gave a wink over at Spike. "But at least thou does not have to worry about this, aye? Tell me, though, for I am curious; how oft do Rarity and thee play in bed? And would she be adverse to perhaps, say, a handsome stallion ensuring she has not made a mistake in her choice of-" "Yes!" Spike said in a strangled voice, leaning away from Sleipnir and giving him a horrified look as the enormous stallion only looked innocently back, before he was distracted by the sight of the waitress bringing them a tray loaded with nachos, a bottle of whiskey, a glass of cola, and a full pitcher of beer. "I... I mean... you... how can you ask-" "How could I not ask? The unicorn is utterly gorgeous. Even prettier than thee, fair maiden, and thou art the most pretty serving girl I have ever laid mine eyes upon." Sleipnir grinned over at the waitress, winking at her, and the mare winced, obviously not taking this completely as a compliment before she hurried away, and Sleipnir huffed a bit as he turned his eyes moodily back over the others. "It appears that I have forgotten what is entirely appropriate to say to such young, pretty things. Not that I ever knew to begin with, of course, but... well, I am very pretty. They are very pretty. Pretty things naturally go together so they may do pretty and not-so-pretty things beneath the safe cover of darkness... or, well, at least when no pony is looking. Usually." "So, Spike, you and Rarity. Going to live in the boutique, I take it?" Scrivener said clearly, quickly pushing for a better subject as he picked up his new glass of cola, and Sleipnir huffed a bit and glowered pointedly at the charcoal earth pony before he turned his own curious gaze towards the dragon, as Spike nodded rapidly and gave a half-relieved, half-awkward smile. "What about... you know." Spike looked confused at this, and Rainbow Dash immediately seized the opportunity, leaning forwards and asking with a grin: "Kids?" "Half-pony and half-dragon, 'twould be handsome little terrors." Sleipnir said thoughtfully, as Spike stared stupidly around the table before the vine-maned pony nodded with a cheerful look. "Would it be too cruel to ask whether or not I could have one as a pet, should thou be left with a litter of eggs?" The dragon quickly reached out and took a few deep drinks of his beer in response, and the ponies around the table shared a laugh before Spike huffed and put the glass down, saying flatly: "You guys seriously aren't funny." "Still, it's something to consider." Scrivener smiled after a moment, then he shook his head and said softly: "But what's important is that you and Rarity are happy together. The future will solve itself in time, one way or the other." Rainbow grunted in agreement, reaching out and picking up a few nachos to toss them into his jaws before he said mildly: "I seriously never thought I'd have a kid with Applejack. I mean, bein'... a guy, that was crazy enough, right? Finding out that my stuff is actually uh... working... now that was a hell of a surprise. A good surprise, though, but I gotta say I'm glad I never gave in to temptation anywhere, you know what I'm saying? And I sure as hell could have. Some of the Wonderbolts, just, they were good-looking ponies." Big Mac sighed and rubbed at his face, and Rainbow grinned awkwardly before he looked over at Scrivener, beginning to open his mouth... then he grumbled, adding moodily: "I was about to ask you for backup but I just realized that you and Luna cheat on each other all the time." "It's not cheating." Scrivener said tiredly, and then he held up a hoof, adding mildly: "And believe it or not, our relationship does have boundaries. It's not like Luna or me are out there all the time flirting with everypony and trying to drag all of Equestria into bed with us. There's... there's an approval process." "Approval process." Rainbow grinned widely, then he reached over and nudged Spike, saying mildly: "He probably won't answer me if I ask about it, but he'll totally answer you if you do, since this little get-together is all about you." "Can't we talk about something serious? Like Gymbr, or the incoming threats to this world, or even the fact that somehow the dragon clock Celestia bought for my kid vanished, and when it came back it had turned into a Tyrant Wyrm clock?" Scrivener half-pleaded, and only Big Mac shrugged as Sleipnir and Rainbow Dash simply glared at him and Spike awkwardly rubbed at his head, looking curious more than serious. "Besides, this is Spike's night and all, yes." "What happened to the clock?" Spike asked after another moment, and both the Pegasus and the vine-maned earth pony huffed, while Big Mac looked almost as relieved as Scrivener Blooms. "Well, what? I haven't heard about most of this stuff." "Actually, uh, yeah, you have, you've just been wandering around all day looking like you just won the lottery." Rainbow Dash replied mildly, and then he emptied his glass in one long drink before quickly refilling it with a grin. "Which I'm guessing you kind of did in a way, but you know what I mean." Spike laughed a little, and then Scrivener Blooms smiled a bit before he began calmly: "Anyway, anyway. You wanted the story of the clock, right? Well... it's pretty simple and weird, so I'll keep it short. We all went back to the cabin last night with Antares' haul, and we knew we'd packed the clock with us. But when we opened the box, it was gone. We spend five minutes hunting around, don't find it, figure maybe we dropped it or left it, even though we're both certain we've had it the whole time. "Then, I'm putting Antares to bed, and I look over on his dresser... and there's the clock. Sitting there, and Gymbr is beside it... only instead of being shaped like a dragon, it's distinctly shaped like some kind of Tyrant Wyrm." Scrivener quieted, looking down and closing his eyes as he remembered the details: the proud crown of six horns, the dark stone scales, the mottled scars engraved into the stone and the expansive wings... a Wyrm and yet not a Wyrm, in a shape that felt terribly, awfully familiar. "Luna didn't recognize it, but... at the same time she did. Either way, Gymbr obviously decided to... to make a little change." "That doll gives me the creeps. Alive or not, if I were you, I'd tie it up with weights and throw it into the ocean. Watch it sink down myself to make sure it's gone." Rainbow replied quietly, shaking his head slowly as he looked down for a moment. "Makes me feel weird, though. Sad, I think, more than anything else... like I let myself and someone else down." He smiled a little, then glanced up over at Sleipnir, asking finally: "What about you, big guy? You're some heroic warrior dude from the past, right, have you seen stuff like this before?" "'Tis a far better question for Celestia and Luna, I have always been the one responsible for bludgeoning and bashing things. That, and spending all our money on alcohol and prostitutes, as well as being naïve enough to trigger an ambush here and there." Sleipnir replied easily, smiling slightly as he glanced up. "And the doll... the toy is a strange one, oh yes it is, especially since it confuses my sisters and their friends so much on top of it... but I do not sense it in a completely nefarious purpose. I know the subject is a soft one but it protected Antares, did it not?" "In a manner of speaking. I don't think my poor kid is ever going to... cherish it quite the same, though." Scrivener grimaced a little, glancing down and rubbing slowly at his face. "It's not that he doesn't still cling to it... he sleeps with it, even, still... but at the same time, there's a different kind of... everything, about it. You know? It just seems like he and that little toy aren't nearly as close anymore as they'd once been." "The poor foal lost a friend. And aye, mayhaps 'twas only an imaginary one, but all the same, I would think it hurts more sometimes to lose an invisible, imaginary friend than it does to lose a real one." Sleipnir said thoughtfully, looking up and nodding slowly. "And I do not know why, but something about that odd little toy feels like... like a coming home. Like something that once was, like... it has a great and mighty story it wishes to tell us, and to celebrate with us, be it friend or foe." "Poetry runs in the family, I see." Scrivener remarked mildly, and Sleipnir huffed at him, looking almost offended before the charcoal earth pony looked down, rubbing meditatively at his own scarred features before he sighed a little and nodded a bit. "But I do understand what you mean, too. Lots of people have been saying that. I just wish I knew what the hell it all meant." "It means that it is not something you need to think about so seriously." Sleipnir replied kindly, then he reached up and tapped his temple as he winked. "This is one realm where I have always had an advantage over my sisters, admittedly, much as I adore them. Luna, and especially Celestia, tend to let thoughts run rampant through their minds until they go mad with questions and worries and fears and ideas... 'tis silly, really. But I, on the other hand, have always been blessed with many holes in my brain from which the thoughts can escape and scurry themselves out of my head. Is it a puzzle that must be figured out as soon as possible? Does it threaten us? Do not all of us here recognize that in some way, the pieces are falling as they will? Then there! There is nothing to worry about, and thus, no reason to think so heavily upon it. Just let it be, Scrivener Blooms, thou has much to concentrate upon, after all." Scrivener gave Sleipnir an amused look, Rainbow Dash nodding thoughtfully before Big Mac nodded calmly once and knocked on the table. "Yup." "Exactly! Wisdom!" Sleipnir declared with a laugh, and then he grinned over at Spike, saying cheerfully: "Now order Scrivener Blooms to tell us dirty secrets about his sex life with my little sister, 'twill be most entertaining." Spike turned beet red in response to this, then hurriedly excused himself to run to the bathroom as Scrivener sighed tiredly and Rainbow Dash laughed. Only Big Mac remained calm, reaching across the table to pour himself a shot of whiskey before he knocked it back, fortifying himself further against the energy, excitement, and slight insanity of the ponies around him. Category:Transcript Category:Story